The DePaul men’s basketball team has paused all team activities for the remainder of this week following positive Covid-19 test results in its Tier 1 group prior to the Iowa State game on Sunday, the athletic department announced on Tuesday.

As a result, the Blue Demons have postponed their first two Big East games against Seton Hall (Dec. 11) and Villanova (Dec. 14). This is the second time the program has had to pause team activities because of positive Covid-19 test results, with the first pause lasting from Nov. 19-29. 

“As we continue to abide by COVID-19 protocols, we must pause our men’s basketball activities,” DePaul athletic director DeWayne Peevy said in a statement. “These are difficult decisions but there is nothing more important than the safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. 

“I continue to admire the resilience of our coaches and players as we work through these challenging times together. The hard work and support of our medical staff could not be better right now as they provide guidance for all of us. We’ll continue to be flexible to gauge whether we can add any non-conference games to our Big East schedule. We’re all ready to see our Blue Demons play and we’ll be there soon.”

DePaul has now had to either postpone or cancel its first seven games of the season, including five non-conference games. The Blue Demons were all set to open their season against Iowa State last Sunday, but the game was canceled an hour before the start because of a positive Covid-19 test within DePaul’s team. 

DePaul is next scheduled to face Xavier on Dec. 18 at Wintrust Arena, which would be the Blue Demons’ first game of the season. The only other game on the team’s schedule is against UConn five days later at home.